The weekend of 2nd of August saw 8 MACs make the trip to Holy Island, Anglesey, for the Cybi Coastal Marathon (and 25k). With only 200 runners in the marathon it is a small scale event and organised by members of the local community in aid of the Holyhead Lifeboat station. Having been featured in Runner’s World as their top pick of marathons in the country a few years ago, a merry band of Derbyshires finest were persuaded by prior attendees, Caroline and David Robertson, to give it a go.
The event circumnavigates Holy Island which is conveniently almost bang on marathon distance. We started in the yard of the lifeboat station with an enthusiastic send off by the local town crier before heading off along the harbour front in the port town of Holyhead – worth a visit… if you’re getting a ferry. The first 10k takes you out of the town and along the headland, over nearby marshes and fields. Once the first 10 miles are ticked off, the spectacular views start to emerge and the race gets interesting. Runners hug the coastline taking in the iconic South Stack lighthouse as well as expansive views of beaches, cliffs and dramatic coastline. The sting in the tail is the ascent of Holyhead mountain at around 22 miles followed by the steep and technical descent the other side. We unanimously agreed this was far harder than the ascent! Despite being able to see the finish after completing the descent, there are still a couple of miles left to run on the coastal path. This makes for a tough and pace sapping finish!
Andy Mellor ran hard and suffered with wobbly legs towards the end but was rewarded with 4th V50. He also admitted that he didn’t look up from his feet until the top of Holyhead mountain so missed most of the views! Pete Wilmot who was not taken with the first third of the race, enjoyed the undulating coastline and challenging finish. He wasn’t far behind as 6th V50. Sally Hale had a steady run and finished all smiles as 7th Lady. Her highlight was seeing John and gloating at his pre race statement of “you don’t need sun glasses or sun cream, the cloud is here to stay”. It didn’t stay. John Thorpe had a good run for the first 12 miles but began suffering with some calf trouble so struggled a little for the second half. He also got some sun burn 🤭 Martin Lea returned for another lap of the island having taken part last year and had a great run with 2nd V60. Caroline Robertson and Emma Fitzgerald ran at ‘party pace’ consisting of much chat, photo stops and they even mastered the art of running, chatting and enjoying a calippo at the same time! A rolled foot by Caroline at 8 miles meant she was fuelled by nuromol for the remainder and forced into an even steadier pace, but still enjoyed herself. Pete Bush who is a regular to the island for open water swimming and climbing, had an enjoyable yet tough run and was spurred on by intermittent cheers and do-si-doing with Emma and Caroline. Jealous of their Calippo’s, he also enjoyed the delights of a mid marathon iced refreshment at the next ice cream van!
All were rewarded with a t shirt, medal and bag of sweets for their efforts.
Post race nourishment and de brief was enjoyed by all at a local pub before some stayed another night on the island, while others headed for home.
A great MAC away weekend.
